Jason Burgos
According to former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, Dana White’s story about being aggressively manhandled by one-time champion Francis Ngannou wasn’t a tale about a “bad guy” and was a bully dealing with another bully.
The UFC CEO made headlines last week when he offered up some strong thoughts and stories about former employee Ngannou. During an appearance on the Flagrant podcast, he revealed an incident where the Cameroonian was upset about not getting a bonus for a recent win.
An extended debate went nowhere, and when White went to leave his office, he claims the former UFC heavyweight king grabbed him by his shirt and aggressively pushed him back in. He also allegedly grabbed CBO Hunter Campbell by his collar as he passed by to threaten him into getting a bonus as well. White claims that was the moment when he realized Ngannou was a “bad guy” and couldn’t work with him long-term.
Dana White being bullied by Francis Ngannou was deserved?
The story got a ton of attention in the industry and put a bad light on Ngannou. However, according to former UFC fighter and popular podcaster Brendan Schaub, he doesn’t think Ngannou is a “bad guy.” Nor does he think White is either. He sees the incident as a moment of you get what you give.
“Over the entire course of the UFC, there are no bigger bullies than the UFC brass,” Schaub said on his The Schaub Show podcast. “The disrespect behind the scenes to managers, to fighters directly — including myself. The texts I got from UFC brass after a fight would make anybody so upset.”
He said White’s complaint about Ngannou is an instance of “a spade calling a spade,” and while he doesn’t condone the former UFC fighter’s alleged action, he believes fighters will deal with disrespect physically.
“I’m not saying Dana is bad, I’m not saying Francis is bad. I don’t think either of these guys are bad people… You reap what you sow,” said Schaub.
